Said Jeffers, "Although as a pastor I cannot officially endorse a candidate, I want you to know I would not be here this morning if I were not absolutely convinced that Donald Trump would make a great president of the United States. ... Most Americans know we are in a mess, and as they look at Donald Trump they believe he is the one leader who can reverse the downward death spiral of this nation we love so dearly."

Donald Trump and Robert Jeffress in Iowa on Saturday (YouTube)

Added the pastor, evangelicals support Trump because "this nation will not survive another third term of Barack Obama in the form of Hillary Sanders or Bernie Sanders."

And with that he brought to the main stage "a great leader, a great visionary and a great American ... Donald J. Trump."

At which point Trump came out, and the two men shook hands and hugged. Trump then explained that as recently as a year ago, they'd never met. Trump told the roaring crowd he was introduced to Jeffress on the TV, where he happened to be talking about Trump.

"He said, 'He's going to be the best leader, he's going to be the best for the economy ... he's going to take care of ISIS and he's gonna take care of the border and all the things I talk about," Trump said. "And he said, 'He may not be as pure as we think, but he's really good and a great Christian,' and that's what I wanted to hear. "

Which is why Donald Trump invited Robert Jeffress to Iowa.

"The pastor is an incredible guy," said Trump.

Watch the whole speech below. Introductions begin at the 42-minute mark. Jeffress will also be on The O'Reilly Factor tonight talking about "Evangelical Christians & the Iowa vote" at 7 and 10 Dallas time.